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Portable Air Conditioners: How they can help your business
Posted by: | CommentsCountless businesses within a wide range of industries require temperature control at one time or another – and one of the most practical solutions is found in spot coolers. Offering a diverse set of functionalities, spot coolers can bring fast, efficient service to a vast range of business needs.
Similar to a conventional air conditioning system, a spot cooler pulls air into a condenser, cools it, then circulates it back into a given space. But spot coolers are different in that they’re portable – often on wheels – and easy to move or transport. This attribute alone makes the spot cooler a convenient solution for various business and industry needs. For instance, spot coolers can temporarily stand in for faulty or broken air conditioning systems until repairs can be made. In business settings where temperature is vital – for example, in server rooms, computer rooms, and media rooms with large amounts of electronic equipment – an immediate spot cooling installation can make all the difference.
Portable Air Conditioners are also ideal for use in areas that don’t usually have air conditioning, but which temporarily require it for a specific project. For instance, if an event were to be held in a normally non-air conditioned space, a spot cooler could quickly turn that space into an event-ready venue. What’s more, spot cooler can be controlled on demand, enabling the user to make cooling adjustments as they’re required. This makes them particularly useful in settings where groups of people will be gathering – such as company or industry events. And finally, spot coolers are usually available in various size units, making them an ideal temperature control solution for jobs both big and small. From large events to small space cooling needs, spot coolers have proven to be practical tools for temperature control needs.
Ultimately, portable air conditioners can provide a flexible and efficient solution to potentially significant temperature control problems. They’re also easy to install, and can be arranged for quickly and easily via specialists in power generation or temperature control. In situations where temperature control issues could pose an emergency – such as in hospital settings – fast resource arrangements are vital. The fact that spot coolers are compact, easy to transport, simple to use, and easy to arrange for quickly makes them ideal for a wide range of businesses and industries.
Harvey is an expert in business energy solutions
Six Steps to the Perfect Computer Room
Posted by: | CommentsAs more and more businesses rely on computers for the day to day success of their business, businesses are packing more computers in to offices, so that each member of staff has a PC and is truly efficient.
This is excellent, as the businesses are investing in the Technology, but eventually these businesses will discover they computers begin to run slow, then stop! The reason being, most organizations, do not invest in the actual computer room, this is the room dedicated to accommodating the servers and where the network infrastructure is terminated. It’s just the same as having a Formula 1 car and putting standard unleaded fuel in it, it will run but the performance will be no were near what it should be.
An independent survey illustrated this, by poling 50 top UK manufacturers, only 16 had a dedicated Computer Room, that had the relevant security in place to protect their investment, 3 used what you would call a cupboard to house the main server. 1 in particular stored the server in a room 3 feet x 4 feet, with the monitor balanced on the server while the keyboard was on the floor and this was a leading Global manufacturer worth over $5 billion!
To build the ideal Computer Room, you will need;
1. An access control solution. This can be a simple keypad entry system set a 4 digit access code and press the digits to gain access, or a more complete swipe card system, that logs each entry in to the room and sends an email to the Network administrator when someone tries to gain access when they don’t have the necessary privileges.
2. A false floor or suspended ceiling, either one of these are necessary for both structured cabling that runs the army of computers in the offices and air conditioning for cooling of the servers, to ensure the servers don’t crash.
3. KVM switches, these are the devices that can be used to monitor banks of servers from a single monitor and keyboard. KVM stands for Keyboard, video and mouse. The switches can be daisy chained together so that they can control and manage up to 345 servers per monitor, keyboard and mouse. These switches have a fantastic ROI, as they save money on the monitor, keyboards and mice that the business would purchase, as well as the extra expense of increased air conditioning to reduce the heat from the monitors and most importantly save a huge amount of space.
4. Storage of the servers. There are 2 types of storage, rack mount cabinets for rack mount servers and open LAN racking units that store free standing servers, monitors and keyboards etc. These units can be arranged, so they store 20 free standing servers with 1 monitor, KVM switch and keyboard controlling them, they are modular and more flexible for the ever expanding computer room and most importantly the most cost effective solution.
5. Air conditioning: If you have ever been in a computer room when 40 servers have been running for 2 hours, you will know how much cooling they require and this is paramount!
6. Structured cabling: These are the cables that connect each computer and if you were to trace each cable, they would run back to the computer room and to the server. These are normally classified as Category 5e or Category 6 data cabling and there are many Global manufactures of data cabling solutions.
Offering Computer Security & Solutions for your Server Racks and more.
Beat the Heat?effective Cooling Strategies for Today?s Datacenters
Posted by: | CommentsDatacenter cooling is the main concern for many datacenter managers. Excess heat in a server room adversely affects equipment performance, shortens its lifespan, and leads to a premature end of life for equipment. Keeping a server room at the recommended 68 ° to 77 ° F (1) is not an easy task. There are many factors that make cooling today’s datacenters a significant challenge, including high-density computing clusters and rapid changes in technology.
High-Density Computing Clusters
The rise in the use of blade servers and virtual servers has greatly increased the potential amount of power consumed per rack, as well as the resulting heat output. While the heat dissipated by a 2 ft by 2.5 ft rack is currently about 10 kilowatts or more, experts estimate that designs for future equipment will require dissipations of 30-50 kW in the same rack space.(2) The trend toward increased power consumption has been documented in several studies, including one recent five-year study of 19 computer rooms that showed that power consumption rose by 39% from 1999-2005.(3)
Changes in Technology
Traditionally, advances in technology have occurred at an extremely rapid rate, as illustrated by “Moore’s Law,” which predicts the doubling of semiconductor performance approximately every 24 months. Historically, increased computational abilities have led to increased power consumption and heat loads. Datacenter managers should take these trends into account when planning for future expansion. According to Gartner Research, “Without careful planning and coordination between the data center facilities staff and the server procurement staff, data centers will not be able to increase power or cooling in line with increases in server deployments…through year-end 2008, heat and cooling requirements for servers will prevent 90 percent of enterprise data centers from achieving the maximum theoretical server density.” (4)
Isolating Hot Spots
Hot Spots are areas in a datacenter that are not properly cooled, often resulting in temperatures that exceed recommend conditions for maximum equipment reliability and performance. Hot spots are not necessarily caused by a lack of cooling capacity and commonly occur in datacenters with sufficient or excess cooling capacity, but can be caused by poor circulation or improper air flow.
Zone Hot Spots can be present over fairly large areas in a datacenter and occur when the temperature at all air intake levels of a rack or cabinet are too hot, due to expelled air flow that is not properly routed.
Vertical Hot Spots occur over a small area and often affect a single server rack. They occur when equipment at the bottom of a rack consumes the available supply of cold air and devices higher up in the rack pull in the hot air exhaust of adjacent equipment or ambient air.
Strategies to Improve Datacenter Cooling
Datacenter managers can take several steps to meet datacenter cooling challenges, including choosing the right rack, increasing datacenter energy efficiency, using liquid cooling units, and taking advantage of environmental monitoring.
1. Select The Right Rack And Accessories
To fully maximize equipment cooling, when selecting a server rack consider intelligent and space-efficient design features that various rack models offer, including frame profile and capacity for increased packing density. Use blanking panels to manage air flow efficiency and select a rack with built-in channels for better cable management and improved air flow. Fully perforated doors and top panels can help improve ventilation as well. Also consider server rack accessories that will improve cooling, including fans, enclosure blowers, and rack air conditioners. In addition, consider using energy-efficient power supplies, such as 220V power, which significantly increases available amperage into the server rack, using fewer circuits while providing a more balanced power load. This can reduce the overall number of PDUs needed to power equipment, leaving more space for airflow.
2. Aim for Energy Efficiency
There are several steps you can take to reduce overall energy consumption and resulting heat loads in your data center. To begin with, consider hiring an expert to conduct room diagnostics, measure airflow, and correct any cooling problems identified. Next, conduct a thorough audit of your equipment and determine if any servers can be consolidated or discarded—this process can cut power consumption in some organizations by up to 30%. (5) Finally, clean up any clutter under your datacenter floor, including cabling, that might be impeding air flow.
3. Deploy Liquid Cooling Units
As power-intensive applications and server densities have increased, Liquid Cooling Packages (LCPs) have become a valuable alternative to ambient air cooling and can better meet the cooling challenges presented by high-density computing clusters. These modular, temperature-neutral high-density cooling solutions utilize air/water heat exchangers to provide uniform, effective cooling. Liquid cooling units use a special horizontal airflow with constant-temperature cold air provided at the front intake and hot air removed from the rear of the enclosure. They can be mounted at the rack base, in a rack “side car.” Fully-loaded LCPs have a 30kW cooling output with three cooling modules possible per equipment rack, and controlled variable speed fan and water flow based on actual heat load generated in a cabinet.
4. Use Environmental Monitoring
These devices allow administrators to proactively monitor rack and server room temperature, including hot spots, at any time and from anywhere and provide protection to mission-critical applications. They also allow administrators to continuously monitor amperage draw per circuit, water leaks, and physical security and can send alerts automatically via SMTP/SMS/SNMP when conditions exceed established thresholds. This allows IT managers to quickly respond to any irregularities before they become larger problems. Environmental monitoring devices also help administrators in future planning, as they provide valuable data that can be used for trending analysis.
When considering datacenter management, cooling is only one piece of the puzzle. Other key considerations include intelligent power management and KVM console management tools. The team at 42U specializes in assessing needs, creating solutions, and supporting our clients, to ensure that IT professionals maximize their use of current technologies to improve overall business performance.
42U’s team of technology specialists provide unbiased, independent expertise and solutions for Data Center infrastructure. They provide best practices and products for Data Center builds, expansions, and consolidations. For thirteen years, the majority of Fortune 500 companies have engaged the 42U team to resolve their data center management challenges. 42U (http://www.42u.com) and its sister companies, are value-added resellers that provide expert independence advice and solutions around enterprise kvm switches, remote power, computer room power and cooling , server racks and green data center solutions.
Green Computing
Posted by: | CommentsGreen computing or green IT, refers to environmentally sustainable computing or IT.It is ”the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment. Green IT also strives to achieve economic viability and improved system performance and use, while abiding by our social and ethical responsibilities. It’s resultant of global warming but actually it is ‘Desktop Warming’.
To comprehensively and effectively address the environmental impacts of computing/IT, we must adopt a holistic approach and make the entire IT lifecycle greener by addressing environmental sustainability along the following four complementary paths:
Green use — reducing the energy consumption of computers and other information systems as well as using them in an environmentally sound manner
Green disposal — refurbishing and reusing old computers and properly recycling unwanted computers and other electronic equipment
Green design — designing energy-efficient and environmentally sound components, computers, servers, cooling equipment, and data centers
Green manufacturing — manufacturing electronic components, computers, and other associated subsystems with minimal impact on the environment
Background information: The U.S Environment Protection Agency launched energy star’, a voluntary labeling program in year 1992, which is designed to promote and recognize energy-efficiency in monitors, climate control equipment, and other technologies. This resulted in the widespread adoption of sleep mode in computers and electronics popular among consumer electronics. The term “green computing” was probably introduced after the Energy Star program began; there are several USENET posts dating back to 1992 which use the term in this manner. Concurrently, the Swedish organization TCO Development launched the TCO certification program to promote low magnetic and electrical emissions from CRT-based COMPUTER DISPLAYS; this program was later expanded to include criteria on energy consumption, ergonomics, and the use of hazardous materials in construction. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a survey of over 90 government and industry initiatives on “Green ICTs”, i.e. information and communication technologies, the environment and climate change. The report concludes that initiatives concentrate on greening ICTs rather than tackling global warming and environmental degradation through the use of ICT applications. In general, only 20% of initiatives have measurable targets, with government programmes including them more frequently than business associations.Many governmental agencies have continued to implement standards and regulations that encourage green computing. The energy star program was revised in October 2006 to include stricter efficiency requirements for computer equipment, along with a tiered ranking system for approved products. More than 26 US States that have established state-wide recycling programs for obsolete computers and consumer electronics equipment. Green Computing Impact Organisation (GCIO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the end-users of computing products in being environmentally responsible motivating community of environmentally concerned IT leaders who pool their time, resources, and buying power to educate, broaden the use, and improve the efficiency of, green computing products and services. Members work to increase the ROI of green computing products through a more thorough understanding of real measurable and sustainable savings incurred by peers; enforcing a greater drive toward efficiency of vendor products by keeping a community accounting of savings generated; and through group negotiation power.
It is becoming widely understood that the way in which we are behaving as a society is environmentally unsustainable, causing irreparable damage to our planet. Rising energy prices, together with government-imposed levies on carbon production, are increasingly impacting on the cost of doing business, making many current business practices economically unsustainable. It is becoming progressively more important for all businesses to act (and to be seen to act) in an environmentally responsible manner, both to fulfill their legal and moral obligations, but also to enhance the brand and to improve corporate image. Companies are competing in an increasingly ‘green’ market, and must avoid the real and growing financial penalties that are increasingly being levied against carbon production.
IT has a large part to play in all this. With the increasing drive towards centralized mega data centers alongside the huge growth in power hungry blade technologies in some companies, and with a shift to an equally power-hungry distributed architecture in others, the IT function of business is driving an exponential increase in demand for energy, and, along with it, is having to bear the associated cost increases.
How to Contribute in Green Computing
As computers play an ever-larger role in our lives, energy demands, costs, and waste
are escalating dramatically. Consider the following from the Climate Savers Computing
Initiative:
In a typical desktop computer, nearly half the power coming out of the wall is wasted
and never reaches the processor, memory, disks, or other components. The added heat from inefficient computers can increase the demand on air conditioners and cooling systems, making your computing equipment even more expensive to run. Even though most of today’s desktop computers are capable of automatically transitioning to a sleep or hibernate state when inactive, about 90 percent of systems have this function disabled. Some 25 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics—computers, DVD players, stereos, TVs—is consumed while the products are turned off. Turn off your computer at night so it runs only eight hours a day—you’ll reduce your energy use by 810 kWh per year and net a 67 percent annual savings. Purchase flat-screen monitors—they use significantly less energy and are not as hard on your eyes as CRTs.Purchase an Energy Star–compliant computer. Note that laptop models use much less energy than desktop units. Plug your computer into a surge protector with a master control outlet, which automatically senses when the computer is not in use and cuts power to it and all your peripherals. Plan your computer-related activities so you can do them all at once, keeping the computer off at
other times. Consider a smaller monitor—a 14-inch display uses 40 percent less energy than a 17-inch one. Enable the standby/sleep mode and power management settings on your computer. Forgo the screen saver—it doesn’t save energy or your screen unless you’re using an old monochrome monitor. Review document drafts and e-mails onscreen instead of printing them out. Power off your monitor when you are not using it instead of using screen savers. Consider using an ink-jet printer—although a bit slower than laser printers, inkjets use 80 to 90 percent less energy. Buy vegetable or non-petroleum-based inks—
they are made from renewable resources, require fewer hazardous solvents, and often
produce brighter, cleaner colors. Turn off all printers and peripherals unless you are using them. Do not leave the computer running overnight or on weekends. Choose dark backgrounds for your screen display—bright-colored displays consumer more power. Reduce the light level in your room when you are working on your computer.
Network and share printers where possible. Print on recycled-content paper. Look for non-chlorine bleached papers with 50 to 100 percent post-consumer waste. Use double-sided printing functions. E-mail communications as an alternative to paper memos and fax documents.
Create Green Machines:
Activating the power management features on your computer saves energy and money while helping the environment. Your computer’s SLEEP and HIBERNATE settings are two of the most effective ways for you to make your computer more environmentally friendly. You can activate these functions manually or through your operating system’s pre-set power management settings.
Sleep Mode
Sleep or standby mode conserves energy by cutting off power to your display, hard drive, and peripherals. After a pre-set period of inactivity, your computer switches to a low power state. When you move your mouse or press any computer key, you exit sleep mode and your computer takes you back to its previous operating state. Sleep mode is an especially effective way to conserve battery power in a laptop computer. However, if your computer loses power for any reason while in sleep mode, you may lose unsaved work.
Hibernate Mode
Hibernate mode saves energy and protects your work by copying system data to a reserved area on your hard drive and then completely turning off your computer. It also reduces wear and tear on your components. When you turn power back on, your files and your documents appear on your desktop just as you left them. Be sure to set your system to automatically go into hibernate mode any time your battery power reaches a critically low level.
educationist with flair of writing
10 Most Common Reasons for Computer Failure in Business and Industry
Posted by: | CommentsComputers are performing more and more tasks in the office and workplace than they ever have before. Computers can conduct many tasks more efficiently than human workers but the more we rely on them the more vulnerable we find ourselves when the machines fail.
Each year, companies have an average of 501 hours of computer downtime, costing them millions in annual productivity and revenue and according to a recent study; computer downtime is responsible for the loss of 3.6% of annual revenue. Which is almost has high as the revenue loss by employee absence (6 %)!
The average life of an office PC is 3-4 years yet a computer’s life can be cut down to a fraction of that amount if the machine is expected to work in less than perfect conditions.
Yet the majority of causes for a computer failure can be prevented by adhering to some simple steps:
1. User errors – Any tool is only as good as the workman who uses it and computers are no different. Actions such as not powering down properly, skipping scan disks or continual button pushing while a computer is processing can damage a computer’s hardware, particularly drives and processors. Always follow the correct guidance in using a computer machine.
2. Faulty manufacture –It seems there are an almost infinite number of manufacturers and assemblers making computers and while some have vast experience and resources, others are no more than two guys in a garage so it is not surprising that an increasing number of computer systems are faulty when bought.
3. Bad upgrades – It is not just computers themselves that are victims of bad workmanship, upgrades by inexperienced computer fitters can cause horrendous problems. Faulty add-ons such as RAM can kill a processor instantly, also attempting to ‘overclock’ or interfere with a processor can often lead to a fatal melt-down.
4. USB Device Mishaps. It seems everything can be plugged into a USB these days. However, it maybe that your USB device is not suited to the operating system you use or it may be faulty leading to a fatal short circuit.
5. Power problems – Power surges or unexpected power cuts can not only cause instant loss of data but can fry a processor. It is not just power from the grid that causes problems either – lightning can surge through cables (even phone wires) frazzling your system and so can static.
6. Dirt/Dust. A dusty environment will clog a computer and block cooling vents causing a computer to overheat. Dust can also contain conductive material and particles can stick to circuit boards and cause a short circuit. A cloud of dust can also explode if it comes into contact with a source of ignition (like a computer). Even home computers if not properly cleaned can succumb to problems caused by too much dust.
7. Water/fluids. Of course computers are electrical and with all electrical equipment, computers and water do not mix, just one spilt cup of coffee could see the end of your PC.
8. Heat. Processors can run exceptionally hot and if a computers cooling system is inadequate (because the machine has been upgraded, overclocked or just clogged up with dust and grime) it will only be a matter of time before it packs up for good.
9. Cold. Just as with heat, computers don’t enjoy the cold too much either. Processors will not operate at all if the operating temperature is too cold as condensation inside the machine can freeze and expand damaging the processor and electronics.
10. Knocks/bangs. Computers are sensitive machines, simply moving a PC to another room can cause havoc, disrupting the delicate circuitry and hard drives. Dropping a computer or severe knocks and bangs will permanently damage the circuits and processors or dislodge wiring.
The easiest way to protect a PC in business applications from uncontrollable hazards such as heat, dust or vibrations is to use an industrial computer enclosure. These industrial PC enclosures allow a conventional PC to be used whilst housed in a protective cocoon which can be dust, water and even explosive proof.
Richard N Williams is a technical author and a specialist in the industrial computer industry helping to develop industrial computer enclosures and protection for all environments. Please visit us for more information about industrial pc solutions.
Portable Air Conditioners are a Good Investment
Posted by: | CommentsWhen the hot days of summer bring escalating temperatures, you will want to rely on an air conditioner to bring cooling air to your home or office. Permanent air conditioners are big and bulky, however, and they usually cool an entire floor of a building, which is a money waster if you are cooling rooms you are not using. Portable room air conditioners, on the other hand, are a good investment because you can position them to where they will be most effective, you only pay for the cooling you need, and they offer other air conditioning features besides cooling.
One great feature of a portable air conditioner is that you can position it in any area of your home or office that would benefit from cooling air. You are not stuck with a permanently mounted unit that cools one area very well and outlying areas poorly. With a portable model, you can focus the cool air where you need it most. Imagine a bedroom in cool comfort even though the temperatures are sweltering outside, because you can roll your portable air conditioner into your bedroom. The next day, your portable unit can move with you into your home office, covered outdoor living space, or any other room in your home where you are and where you want it cool. In an office setting a portable room air conditioner can be just the thing you need to keep your server and other hot-running electrical equipment operating at optimal levels because the room is kept in the correct temperature range.
Another reason why small portable air conditioners make an excellent investment is that you only pay for what you use in terms of air conditioning. A large permanent air conditioning unit will cool large areas of space, including rooms that you are not occupying. This is money down the drain, because you are getting no benefit from unused rooms that are cooled. Instead, focus your air conditioning on the spaces that you are using, and enjoy the benefit of cool temperatures yet only pay for what you use, where you use it.
An additional attraction for using modern portable room air conditioners is that they offer several features besides their wonderful ability to make your room cool and comfortable. If you live in an area with high humidity, you know how uncomfortable all of the excess moisture can be to your skin. It is no fun to sweat all day long, so instead choose a portable air conditioner that comes with a dehumidifier. This unit will capture the excess air moisture, making the air drier and leaves you feeling cooler. Choose a portable air conditioner with the features you need for a great air cooling investment.
Susan Slobac has been a home improvement and appliance professional for many years. She is featured in many publications as being an expert in appliaces such as air conditioners, portable air conditioners and home appliances
Which air conditioner?
Posted by: | CommentsAir Comfort Centre Ltd stock a wide variety of air conditioners including portable air conditioners, window or through the wall air conditioners, wall mounted splits and cassette splits, brands include Sanyo, LG, Fujitsu and Prem-I-Air for portable air conditioners.
Which size of air conditioner to pick depends on the environment you need to cool. For instance, an office typically has higher heat gains than a lounge because there will be more electrical equipment and people occupying the room which give off heat.
A room with a large south facing window is going to become hotter on a sunny day than a room with a north facing window and will therefore demand a more powerful air conditioner.
In order to find out which size air conditioner you need you can use our ‘Cooling Calculator’ on our website, just enter details such as room size, number, size and aspect of windows, how many people and monitors will normally be present and the total Wattage of lighting in the room and it will calculate the minimum cooling required in both btu’s (British thermal units) and in kW.
Once you have determined the size of air conditioner, you need to choose the style of air conditioner that would suit your application best. The paragraphs below outline the advantages and disadvantages of each type of air conditioner we offer and gives an indication of what type of situation they are suitable for:
Wall-mounted split and cassette split air conditioners
Advantages:
Powerful outputs to cool medium to large sized areas
Very quiet operation
Lots of features and functions
Attractive and unobtrusive designs
Good air distribution
Provide both cooling and heating
Disadvantages:
Needs to be professionally installed
More expensive than portable or window units
Has separate internal and external units that must be joined which requires drilling and permanent fixing with electrical isolators.
Suitable for:
Usually installed into offices, restaurants or shops, wall mounted units can also be used in lounges, bedrooms and other rooms that require quiet permanent cooling. Areas bigger than 64m2 can be accommodated with multiple units. The cassette unit is the best to use where there is a large ceiling area with a void above as will give 4 way air distribution.
Advantages:
Relatively cheap to buy
No installation required – simply turn on and vent exhaust hose through a window
Great temporary cooling solution that can be stored away when not in use
Ideal for spot cooling a single area
Portable – can be used in more than one area
Disadvantages:
More noisy than split air conditioner
Not suitable for larger areas
Need to leave a window or door open to vent exhaust hose
Suitable for:
These are the ideal solution for domestic situations during the summer months, most units can also provide heat so you could think about installing more permanently in a conservatory
(you can vent the hose out of the wall through a pipe) Great for economic cooling of small rooms up to 38m2 or spot cooling an area, for instance a desk, in a larger space.
Through-the-wall / Window air conditioners
Advantages:
Relatively cheap to buy
Can be installed by a competent DIY’er or a builder
Prem-I-Air SWPREM range is very attractive for conservatories or offices.
One self-contained, integral unit
No condensation tank to empty
No need to leave window or door open for venting
Disadvantages:
More noisy than a split system
Outputs up to 11,000btu. Not suitable for large areas unless you buy multiple units
Must be installed on the inside of an external wall
Suitable for:
This type of unit is ideal for conservatories as it can be installed through the top of the brickwork below the windows on a dwarf wall. It is also suited to installation through a sash window – simply sit it on brackets and close the window on to it. Other popular installations include offices, porta-cabins, hard standing caravans and small offices.
Please see our author bio for contact details if you need any further advice, we can supply air conditioning to all of the UK but can only install and service in the Sussex area.
Expert for all matters air treatment, we are www.aircomfortcentre.com which is the UK’s most successful online air treatment businesss, we sell air conditioners, fans, humidifiers, heaters, dehumidifiers, evaporative coolers, air purifiers and patio heaters to homes and businesses in the UK.
What is the difference between spot coolers, portable air conditioners (“portables”) and mini-split or ductless air conditioners?
Air-cooled spot cooling units, spot coolers and portable air conditioners are the same. These units appeared on the market in the early 1980’s to provide cooling for factory workers, hospitals, data rooms, high rise buildings and anywhere extra cooling is needed. Portables are practical, self-contained units on wheels for cooling a spot, room or area where IT equipment, people or other assets need cooling or humidity removal. Portables are available in many capacities and voltages from about 1 Ton to about 10 Tons. If it is impossible or impracticable to exhaust the hot air created by the a/c unit to the outdoors, portables typically include a duct kit for directing the warm air into the ceiling space in a commercial building. These units are unsuitable for residential applications.
If larger units are needed for the job, exterior units are required because doors create capacity limitations.
A “mini split air conditioner” is a ductless split unit. The evaporator section (indoor unit) and condenser (outdoor unit) are separated, or split. The indoor section mounts on the wall and cools just one area. Ductless units are permanently mounted and lack portability.
What is the difference between a residential and commercial portable air conditioner ?
These units are unsuitable and will not work for commercial buildings. A residential portable air conditioner has plastic housing, small condensate tanks, or they evaporate the condensation on the unit’s hot coils, exhausting it into the warm air discharge duct. A window to exhaust the warm air created by the air conditioner is required to create actual air conditioning because air conditioners create more hot air than they do cold air. Because electrical amperage is limited in residences, the residential portable units are typically available in no more than 12,000 BTU’s (1 Ton of cooling capacity). The commercial wheeled portable air conditioners will have larger condensate tanks than residential units, in addition the commercial units tend to have sturdier sheet metal cabinets or housings.
What is the difference between spot coolers, portable air conditioners (“portables”) and evaporative coolers (swamp coolers)? Unlike air condoners, evaporative coolers contribute moisture to the environment because there is no compressor with circulating cold refrigerant to dehumidify. Evaporative cooling is used in dry cleaners, restaurant kitchens and shops where high moisture and low operating costs are acceptable. Air conditioners remove moisture from the environment, dry the air and improve the quality of the environment.
What features should I look for when selecting a spot cooler or portable air conditioner?
Construction – Not all portables air conditioners and spot coolers are built the same. Sheet metal cabinets are better than plastic cabinets. All residential units are housed in plastic cabinets and some of the inferior quality commercial units have plastic cabinets. Superior commercial grade units are made of sheet metal and will last about a decade with continuous use.
Warranties - The major (and most expensive) components of a portable air conditioner unit or spot cooler are the compressor and the fans. It is important these are covered. Other components tend to be relatively inexpensive to repair or replace.
Cooling Capacity – 12,000 equals one ton by official weights and standards. When comparing units, sometimes a sell may claim their unit is, say, one ton capacity. Make sure to ask what the BTU capacity is for the particular unit you are considering. A seller may call a 10,000 BTU their “one ton unit” and another may call a 14,000 BTU spot cooler a one ton unit. That’s a 40% difference in actual cooling capacity in two spot coolers that are both called “one ton”.
Controls – For reliability and simplicity of use, simple mechanical controls are a better option. Some manufacturers provide a digital thermostat (typically a battery operated residential wall thermostat) mounted to the unit to set the temperature. While helpful in rare cases, cold air actually falls on the thermostat from the front of the unit and gives an incorrect reading, shutting off the a/c unit when the rest of the room needs cooling. Some portable units offer wall-mounting the digital thermostat which detects the temperature at the place on the wall where the thermostat is mounted. In most cases, simpler is better for controlling your portable air conditioner. A dial-type temperature controller is less complicated, more reliable and does not require new batteries. If the temperature rises, the dial-type thermostat will call for the unit to engage, activating the air conditioner and will usually last several trouble-free years.